Issue #59
Last Update September 23, 2008
Commentary June 2007 Since the 2006 election, President Bush has hunkered down and refused to budge on any important issue, despite the clear signal from the American public that most of his actions have met with disfavor. Although he has cut loose some of the more vulnerable members of his administration, he has continued the policies that they originated and implemented; in some cases, he has even expanded them. The latest and most egregious example is the drumbeat for attacking Iran, led by the Vice President and his stooge Joe Lieberman. Like the proverbial mule, it is time we got the President's attention.
The board to use to whack him with is impeachment. Nancy Pelosi made a grave error in taking impeachment off the table when the Democrats assumed control of the House and Senate. This effectively told the President that he was home free; he would not be held to account for his misdeeds, a as long as he could control 34 Republican Senators, he could stymie any Democratic initiative, including those that the public had demanded during the election.
Beginning the impeachment process would send the message to the President that he is personally vulnerable. It would also have the salutary effect of releasing much secret information (which the Administration is already shredding and erasing as quickly as possible). It is argued that the impeachment process would distract from the urgent business of solving the nation's problems, but, in fact the nation's problems are not being solved in the absence of impeachment. Congress could continue with its legislative program, designating a few House members to concentrate on the impeachment process. The executive branch may well be paralyzed, but in the case of this executive, that may be a good thing.
Impeachment might even be possible; the great thing is that the President can't be sure that it' s not. This might get his attention sufficiently to enable bargaining, something Mr. Bush has never done before.
Congress, vis a vis the Executive, has only three weapons. It can pass legislation, which the President can veto; it can refuse to allocate funds for some purpose the President desires, and it can impeach. Relying on the first weapon, and voluntarily giving up the second and third, as this Congress has done, is a prescription for continuing the Imperial Presidency.
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